Decorating with theseasons

Visit Francine Raymond’s house in Whitstable at any time of the year and you’ll immediately know what season it is. She brings the outside in to great effect, and the essence of her garden decorates her rooms. At Christmas, she plunders her flowerbeds to bring her own festive spirit to this jolly time. Fabulous arrangements of fresh, dried and pressed flowers, leaves, seedheads and berries decorate every surface.

Francine moved here 12 years ago. ‘I was looking for a small house with a big garden, and this Arts and Crafts chalet bungalow by the sea was perfect. It was built by craftsmen with an eye for proportion, detail and modern living and, best of all, was surrounded by a promising garden,’ says Francine.

After moving in, she decided to knock down a few interior walls to turn four small downstairs rooms and a corridor into a large kitchen, which now has a French window leading to the garden. ‘I immediately loved the house as it was, so it was more about enhancing what was already here,’ she says. The original porch (a suntrap now used to house a collection of succulents), with its ancient oak threshold, welcomes visitors into a series of high-ceilinged rooms. Each one has Edwardian windows that brighten the space with light from all sides. The fireplace has been rendered to show off its gentle curves, and features a traditional mantelpiece complete with family portrait. ‘The painting is of my mother-in-law, and was painted by her husband in the 1940s. She made the little hat and epaulettes herself. I often feel her slightly disapproving gaze,’ says Francine.

The choice of furniture is eclectic. ‘I rarely buy anything new. The statement pieces, like the painted dark grey lockers in the kitchen, were bought from a farm sale in Suffolk; I inherited the bedside chest of drawers from my mother (she’d hate to see it painted); and the long dresser in the study came from a village shop. The paintings and pottery are mostly by friends and family, and all the built-in work